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Pristidae

Sawfish
Temporal range: Eocene–Recent
Sawfish genova.jpg
Longcomb sawfish, Pristis zijsron
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Batoidea
Order: Rhinopristiformes
Family: Pristidae
Bonaparte, 1838
Genera

Anoxypristis White & Moy-Thomas, 1941
Pristis Linck, 1790


Anoxypristis White & Moy-Thomas, 1941
Pristis Linck, 1790

Sawfishes, also known as carpenter sharks, are a family of rays characterized by a long, narrow, flattened rostrum, or nose extension, lined with sharp transverse teeth, arranged in a way that resembles a saw. Several species of sawfishes can grow to about 7 m (23 ft). The family as a whole is largely unknown and little studied. The Pristidae are the only living family within the order Pristiformes, whose name comes from the Ancient Greek: πρίστης prístēs "saw, sawyer".

Sawfishes should not be confused with sawsharks (order Pristiophoriformes), or the extinct sclerorhynchids (order Sclerorhynchiformes) which have a similar appearance.

All species of sawfishes are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered by the IUCN, and face the threat of extinction as a result of habitat loss and overfishing. Global populations of every species of sawfishes are estimated to have fallen to less than 10% of their historic levels, and they have been lost from at least 80% of their historic range. The smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata), for example, was once widely distributed, but available data indicate the range of this species has been reduced by about 90%, and population numbers have declined dramatically, perhaps by 95% or more. International commerce of sawfishes has been banned globally since 2007, with the only exception being for the provision of live Pristis microdon to appropriate public aquaria for primarily conservation purposes.


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Wikipedia

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